Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019 - 56

Solutions

Fixing a Faulty Flip
When good kitchen design meets bad surprises
A RENOVATION OF THE KITCHEN in a 1950s home in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix led to a more functional space with light and access to
the backyard, but it also brought plenty of shocks. In the home that had been
flipped before being sold to the current owners, designer Molly Loughney
and her husband and contractor Chris Loughney, founders of the Fitch
Hill design and development firm, were met with challenges throughout
the project but managed to solve each one and keep the renovation on track.
The existing kitchen, which was entered immediately from the front door,
had undergone a remodel around the early 1990s. It was small and beige with
prefab wood cabinets and little storage. The renovation needed to provide
both aesthetic and structural improvement for the growing family.
"The homeowners wanted to optimize the space they had in their home,"
said Molly. They asked for a functional layout and knew what they were
looking for from a style standpoint - a lighter, brighter kitchen with white
Shaker cabinets.Thanks to social media,"people are more in tune with what's
on trend and what they like," according to the designer.

ABOVE An idea from the home-

owners, the U-shaped island
was a ﬁrst for Fitch Hill but is
now a dining solution the ﬁrm
gets asked for regularly.

Designer Molly Loughney
added kid-accessible storage
to the banquette below the
seating and along the sides of
the island.
The custom ventilation hood
and brick backsplash visually tie the culinary side of the
kitchen to the wine bar on the
opposite wall.

CHALLENGE #2 -
OVERCOMING UNPLEASANT SURPRISES

CHALLENGE #1 - RESTRUCTURING THE KITCHEN SPACE & BEYOND

Structural changes were necessary to expand the area of the kitchen, so Molly
took space from a bedroom that had been located behind the original kitchen.
The wall between the two was removed, incorporating significantly more
square footage, and the new, larger room was vaulted. So that the front door
would no longer open directly into the kitchen, the design team moved it to
the right and added a window where the door had been.

In addition to improving the kitchen, moving
the door benefited the symmetry of the front of
the house. The front door now opens into a small
living area, and the kitchen's new bifold doors
open to the pool. Having access to the backyard
from the kitchen had been high on the homeowners' wish list.
The original structure was found to be 4 inches
out of square along a 32-ft. stretch from the front
to the back of the house. This issue was corrected
so that the cabinets and walls could be properly
laid out. With these structural changes made to
improve the kitchen space, the home also got an
overall refresh - the exterior was painted, engineered wood flooring was added throughout, and
the vault was continued outside the bifold doors
where a patio was added.

By CARRIE WHITNEY

Making structural changes uncovered significant
issues with the home's water supply and electrical
and gas lines. Vaulting the middle section of the
home also meant splitting the HVAC system and
adding another unit because there was not room
in the vault for ductwork.
"There were a lot of surprises,"said Molly."You're
not really sure what you will find behind the walls."

/ APRIL 2019 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

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Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019

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